Serene Wings
by Celebwen Telcontar
Summary: Cecelia Pegasus died in childbirth, and the baby was reported as stillborn. What happens when Pegasus' daughter is found alive? And having lived her entire life as Serenity Wheeler? How will she, Pegasus and Joey deal with this? Please note that this is in the American-English Dubbed Anime verse. Please do not flame because of character names. Rating for language. Please review.
1. Prologue

_**Celebwen Telcontar: New story! This is just the prologue!**_

_**Balrog: What universe is this in? **_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This is Anime-verse. Before anyone flames me over the names, please know that I am going off of the American Dubbed Anime verse of Yu-Gi-Oh. This is just the prologue, but it will get longer! I promise you!**_

* * *

The doctor looked at his patient's husband and parents.

"Mr. Pegasus, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, I need you to clear the room. She's gone into prolonged labor, and her cervix, where the baby has to pass through, is not dilating properly. It's at 2 centimeters and staying there. We will have to prep her for cesarean section surgery."

"I… what?" Maximillion Pegasus asked, confused. One minute, he, Cecelia and her parents were waiting for his daughter to be born, and the next he was being kicked out of the room because of surgery?

"It's a C-Section, Max," Sonja said. "It's standard procedure if the cervix doesn't dilate properly. Don't worry, Cecelia and the baby will be fine." Eric and Sonja escorted their distraught son-in-law out of the room. He looked much paler than usual, about the color of his hair. The three made their way through the hospital to the waiting room, where Maximillion began to pace.

"Max, Cecelia and Little Sonja will be fine," Eric assured him. He ignored his father-in-law. The older couple looked at each other with slight smiles. "It's a routine surgery!"

"Alright, I'll trust you," he said, flopping into a chair. A minute later, he was up again, and going to the reception desk. Eric and Sonja looked at each other again. Maximillion was so predictable! He came back a few seconds later with a stack of printer paper and a pencil before heading to a small table. He sat down, and began sketching. Sonja and Eric were sure that he was drawing Cecelia, and perhaps Little Sonja. Both were proud that Cecelia and Maximillion chose the name Sonja for their daughter, and were eager to meet the new addition to the family.

* * *

Hours went by. Maximillion had finished his first stack of drawings, and had migrated onto an entire sheaf from the reception desk. Pictures of Sonja, Eric, Cecelia and various sketches of Little Sonja were everywhere. Several pictures of Norse Viking ships were decorating the table now, as well as several pictures of mythical Greek creatures, including one of Cecelia riding a Pegasus stallion, heading up into the clouds and a beam of radiant light illuminating her face. That picture had taken a very short time, but Maximillion kept adding detail to it, including what looked like a choir of angels and a pair of intricate gates. Both Sonja and Eric believed this picture represented the fact that Maximillion felt like he was in Heaven with Cecelia, but neither could shake a slight chill that the picture gave them.

Suddenly, the door opened. The doctor stepped out.

"Mr. Pegasus? Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal? Please have a seat." All four people sat, the doctor looking at his hands. Sonja gripped her husband's hand, and Maximillian began to tremble slightly. "I don't know how to say this. Mrs. Pegasus began to severely hemorrhage. The baby was delivered via caesarian section, but the umbilical cord had wrapped around her neck. We did what we could, but were unable to save her. We attempted to save Mrs. Pegasus, however we were unable to do so due to her going into stage four hypovolemia and hypotension."

"Wha…?" Maximillion asked, his face going from pale to pasty in a second. He looked as though someone had hit him over the head. "What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Pegasus and the child have succumbed to complications from the surgery. We were unable to save either of them."

"Doctor," Eric said, his voice cold and monotone. "Are you trying to say my daughter and granddaughter are dead?"

"Yes." Maximillion began to tremble, violently. He looked as though he were having an epileptic seizure.

"N-no," he protested. "Cecelia, Sonja, no." He kept repeating that, over and over.

* * *

The funeral was on a cold, grey day. Rain drizzled from the skies, and the mourners stood under a canopy. The preacher said something, but Maximillion couldn't think properly. All he could see was grey. Everyone moved slowly. His mind had seemingly stopped. He had ripped up all his canvases, burned all his drawings, all but two paintings, both of Cecelia. In one, she was looking at him over her shoulder, grinning at him, the platinum and diamond Pegasus pendant he had given her nestled in the hollow of her throat on a platinum chain. In the other, she was simply sitting in a chair, her smile soft and gentle, and her face shining. That was painted right before she had told him she was pregnant, and she had wanted him to capture that strange luminescence all pregnant women had.

Maximillion pulled his mind back to the present. His wife, Cecelia, and their precious miracle, little Sonja, were being lowered into the ground. He was offered the shovel. He turned, unable to help pile dirt on top of his beloved wife and daughter. He left, walking through the drizzle and mud until he got to a car. He got in, and sat down, let his head fall on the dash, and began to sob.

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This is just the beginning!**_

_**Balrog: This is what you've been keeping us waiting for?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: I know. Kind of short, but it will get better!**_

_**Balrog: Why change how Cecelia died? And kill the baby, too?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: If I tell you that, I'll be giving away the plot of the story! Please review, people!**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Here's the first chapter of Serene Wings.**_

_**Balrog: This should be good. Especially when Joey finds out!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Hopefully you'll like it!**_

* * *

Serenity held the letter in a trembling hand. She knew she had been adopted, her mother had told her as soon as she got her passport for the trip to Japan and her eye surgery. She remembered the revelation with a wince.

"_Serenity," her mother said softly. "When I was pregnant with your brother, I had a very difficult time. I had to deliver him by cesarean section, and a cancerous growth on my uterus caused me to have a hysterectomy as well. I was unable to have any more children."_

"_Are you trying to say I'm adopted?" Serenity asked. _

"_Yes. When I found out that I couldn't have any more children, your father and I were devastated. We wanted more than one child, and so we asked one of the nurses that delivered Joey to help us. She knew of a homeless woman who had died in labor with no family. You would have been sent to an orphanage if we didn't take you." _

"_I see. So I have no biological family."_

"_I'm afraid not, but we are your family. Me, Jacob, and Joseph." Serenity nodded, chewing on her fingernail._

"_I wish I knew her name. Maybe I do have family out there, somewhere. She couldn't have always been homeless, could she have?"_

"_No. I'll see if I can find Emily's phone number." _

Now the letter she held said that the nurse who had given her to her parents had been a criminal, wanted in several child abduction cases for the hospital Serenity had been born in. Serenity went to the next page. Her mother had indeed died in the birth, but her father was alive. She didn't have any known siblings, but she had grandparents, Sonja and Eric Cardinal, who lived in New York. Eric Cardinal was the head of the Viking Shipping Company, a powerful and extremely rich man from America. Her mother's name was Cecelia Cardinal. She had married right out of high school, a young man named Maximillion Pegasus.

She stared at the name of her father. Her _father_ was _Maximillion Pegasus?! _The Duel Monsters magnate?! The host of the Tournament that Yugi and Joey had won so she could have her eyes fixed?! She felt the paper slip through her fingers. The world was getting fuzzy, and she was feeling very lightheaded. She made her way to the table, and sat down, bending low so the blood would rush to her head and keep her from fainting. After sitting up, she re-read the letter. It included a birth certificate for a Sonja Éowyn Pegasus, a picture of her mother and grandparents (she incidentally looked quite a bit her grandmother), and other information. She shuffled through the papers again, before setting her head on her hand and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

The door suddenly opened, and Joey came in.

"Sis? Y'alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, pushing herself back in her chair. She rubbed her temple, and reached for the letter. She might as well show her brother. "Joey, I was adopted. I've known this since I had to get my passport for the surgery. Mom was sure that my biological mother had no family. But I had been kidnapped." She handed the letter over, praying he wouldn't overreact. She should have known better.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" the Duelist Kingdom Semifinalist shouted, loudly. Serenity covered her ears.

"Joey! Please, I just learned this myself!"

"Th'nurse _kidnapped _ye?! An' yer _Pegasus' _daughta?!"

"It seems that way." She gathered up the papers, and tucked them back in the envelope they came in.

"Yeah, tha's Pegasus' wife. I r'member her paintin' 'n Pegasus' tower," Joey commented as he looked at Cecelia's picture. Then, he looked at Eric and Sonja Cardinal. "She looks jes' like ye!" he yelped, staring at Sonja's picture.

"Yes, she does. Apparently, she's my grandmother, Sonja Cardinal. I was named after her. My birth name apparently is Sonja Éowyn Pegasus." She gathered the papers together, and moved to the computer. She turned it on, then got onto a word processing program.

"What're ye doin' now?" he asked.

"Writing a letter. I want to know about my mother, I want to get to know my father and grandparents. I can't just stay as I am, Joey!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Well, why not?!" he asked her. "I'm yer brother, Mom's yer mother, Dad's yer Dad, an'—"

"And I love you and Mom a great deal. I just have to know, Joey. They are my family, and they deserve to know that I'm alive and their relative!"

"He stole Gramps' soul! An' Kaiba's an' Mokuba's! I tol' ye that!"

"Yes, but you also told me why. It was for me and my mother."

"He still stole their souls!"

"He can't be much worse than Dad," Serenity put in frankly. Joey scowled.

"Fine. But I wanna be there when ya meet 'im."

"What? Why? This is my business."

"He's dangerous, sis. I can' trust 'im 'round my little sista."

"Stop being an idiot."

"An' Yugi'll be there too. P'raps Mai should be there, too…an' I'll need a gun… "

"Joey!"

"What? Yer my sis!"

"Stop it. I won't let you ruin your life because you're paranoid!"

"I'm not paranai—er—paranoid!"

"Yes, you are." Serenity replied, rolling her eyes and continuing to type. She finished the letter, printed it out, and made copies of all the documentation that her Leah Wheeler had sent her. She folded them, and slipped them in a business envelope, before looking up Industrial Illusions, Inc. on the internet. She found the address, and wrote it on the envelope, stamped it and set it aside to drop in the mailbox later.

"No I'm not!"

"I'm not getting dragged into this," Serenity groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll show you the reply to this letter when it comes." The young woman saved the letter and turned the computer off. She ignored Joey's continued attempts to talk to her, and went outside to the nearest public mailbox before tossing the letter in and crossing her fingers that it would get to its destination and she would receive a reply.

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Well, what do you think of the first chapter?**_

_**Balrog: Joey didn't pull out a flaming sword and start chopping things up!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: That's his favorite card, Flame Swordsman, not himself. Please review, people!**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Here's a new chapter!**_

_**Balrog: Hope it's good…**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Mai goes overboard in this chapter! It's amusing!**_

_**Balrog: Mai Valentine? What does **_**she _do? Attack with shoes?_**

**_Celebwen Telcontar: Wait and see!_**

* * *

Serenity flipped through the mail. She found a letter with nothing more than a stylized image of a winged horse as the return address, and her own name and address in an elegant script. She set the rest of the mail down on the table, and slit the envelope open. There was a folded set of papers, including a picture of her birth mother holding a baby on her lap.

_My Dearest Sonja, _

_I had no idea you were alive. If I had known, you would have grown up with me and your grandparents. I wish to get to know you better. What is your favorite color? What is your favorite food? Who are your friends? I know you have been raised as the sister of Joseph Wheeler, Semifinalist in my Tournament, and you are good friends with Yugi Motou, the Champion. I would like to meet you, and soon. If you do not mind, I will have my majordomo, Croquet, pick you up from your home in one week and we will have dinner at Monique's Restaurant. If you wish, you can invite your friend Yugi Motou and your brother, as well. _

_I have enclosed a picture I drew many years ago of your mother and what I believed you would look like. I have examined the papers you sent, and everything is perfectly legitimate. _

_I look forward to meeting with you, _

_Your loving father, _

_Maximillion Pegasus_

Serenity rubbed her face. _Oh, boy, _she thought. _Monique's?! That's the most expensive restaurant in town! How do I find a dress good enough? And bringing Yugi and Joey along might not be a bad idea… at least Yugi. He tends to keep people calm when they want to fly off the handle. Maybe not Joey, though. He can have a serious temper. I'll have to see if I have anything dressy enough for Monique's…but first, I have to reply to the letter…_ She dug out her stationary and wrote a quick letter that everything would be fine, thanking him for the opportunity to get to know her father and saying that she would be bringing Yugi.

* * *

Yugi Motou was sweeping the Game Shop when he heard the door open. He looked up to see Serenity there, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She looked anxious about something.

"Yugi, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, Serenity! What do you need?" Serenity pulled the letter from Leah Wheeler out of her purse, as well as the one she had written to Pegasus and his reply.

"I… well, I found out that I was adopted. Mom had assured me that if I hadn't been adopted when I was, I would have gone to an orphanage. Mom said my birth mother had died in the birth, and had no family. Apparently, the nurse who had given me to my mom had been corrupt. My real mother did die in the birth, but I have family. My father and grandparents are alive. My father is… is Maximillion Pegasus." She handed him the three letters. "I sent him a letter, explaining what had happened, and he wants to meet me. He's taking me to Monique's. He said I can bring a friend along, and I thought of you."

"Serenity, whoa. This is… wow. So Pegasus is your father. Well, I'm sorta… going out with Tea now…" He read through each letter carefully, his brow furrowing when he came across the invitation for himself and Joey to accompany her to Monique's.

"Not as a date! As a friend, and for your calming influence on people! Er… that didn't come out right…" Yugi laughed.

"Alright! Monique's… I might be able to borrow one of Grandpa's suits…"

"Yeah. I don't know if I have anything appropriate either… Well, thanks _so _much!"

"It's no problem, Serenity!" He grinned. "Now I have to explain this to Tea…" Serenity's face slipped into a sympathetic grimace. Hopefully Tea wouldn't think she was stealing Yugi from her…

* * *

Serenity looked through the secondhand clothing store, finding various lovely gowns. None of them fit her, though. Each and every one had some flaw. Some of them were too big, others too small, and yet others had rips, tears, or stains on them.

"Hey, Serenity," a voice called. She looked out between a green dress with yellow embroidery and a blue dress with white embroidery and saw Mai Valentine.

"Mai?! What are you doing here?!"

"Yugi called me, and told me about your problem. Come with me, girl. We'll get you fixed up in no time!"

"Mai…"

"Don't worry, doll, I love doing this anyways!"

"Uhm…"

"Come _on_!" The buxom blonde dragged Serenity out of the store, pushing her into a red convertible. Mai got into the drivers seat, and started it up. She navigated the streets with ease, and pulled up next to a massive mall.

"Uh… Mai?"

"Come _on_, Serenity!"

"Uh… I… huh?" The red-head gave up all semblance of control then, and allowed herself to be dragged through the shopping center until they came to a store that was selling evening gowns. Mai picked out a lovely long green dress with no sleeves and a scoop neck.

"Here, try this on." She shooed Serenity to a dressing room, where the younger girl got dressed. The gown fit almost perfect, but she quickly switched it out for a less buxom dress with the same emerald coloring, but more iridescence, and an empire waist. Mai tossed a lacy black scarf over the top of the dressing room door, and Serenity pulled it on over the gown. She opened the door. "Uh-uh. Here, like this." Mai grabbed the scarf, pulling it down so it gently lay over her shoulders and the insides of her elbows. "Hmm… maybe… yes, that would work." The blonde girl told Serenity to get dressed in her original clothes again, then brought the dress and scarf up to the register and paid for them.

"Mai…"

"Hush, I'm doing this for Yugi and Joey. And you, too, of course." She grabbed the bag, and dragged Serenity to a shoe store, where the younger girl tried on shoe after shoe after shoe. Finally, she found a lovely pair of strap-on sandals with four-inch heels.

"Mai, I'm going to break my neck in these!"

"No you won't, Serenity. Besides, every woman needs a nice dress and a nice pair of shoes. And I know Monique's, you'll fit right in. And now we need to go to a stylist and a boutique…"

"Mai, he's my father, not some boy I need to im—"

"Yes, yes, but it's _Monique's_. You'll never be let in without looking your best! Let's see here, ah, yes, jewelry!"

"_Mai!_"

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Well, how was that?**_

_**Balrog: Shopping. I'm never going near a mall again.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: It's not **_**that _bad._**

**_Balrog: Just keep telling yourself that..._**

**_Celebwen Telcontar: Please review, people!_**


	4. Chapter 3

_**Celebwen Telcontar: I've manipulated the timeline a bit. This is between the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City arcs. Isishu Ishtar and the Egyptian exhibit are not at the Domino Museum yet. Merik has not infiltrated the city with his Rare Hunters yet, either. I have done this for a reason, as I want Serenity to be a part of the Battle City Tournament.**_

_**Balrog: This should be good… now I've got to wait through a boring restaurant scene…**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog! Be nice!**_

_**Balrog: I'm basalt, not gneiss!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Great, a gneiss pun. I should be used to these by now… Please review, everyone!**_

* * *

Serenity tottered on the impossible heels in her kitchen. The dress was down to her ankles, and the scarf had somehow gotten itself tangled about her throat.

"Calm down, Serenity!" Mai coached, unwinding the offending garment and draping it gracefully across her shoulders. The older girl was eyeing her, making sure her makeup and hair were perfect. A fall of emeralds accented a gold kanzashi on the right side of her face, and her hair had been done in a graceful wave across her left shoulder. Mai had purchased Serenity a pair of earrings with golden swans on them, and a small gold Pegasus pendant on a gold chain. Her makeup had taken almost a full two hours to do, and Mai seemed to be proud of herself. When Yugi appeared, dressed in a three-piece black and white suit, Mai had run out and purchased him a handkerchief in the same shade of violet as his eyes, folded it, and tucked it into his jacket pocket as a fashion statement. Both Yugi and the Puzzle Spirit had decided to forego the Puzzle, mostly to keep it from Pegasus' hands, and Yugi wore a black and violet bolo tie instead, the ends amethysts and the centerpiece a violet oval gemstone.

"You two shape up really nicely!" Mai commented. "Now Yugi, you know to pull out her chair for her, and be polite, right?"

"This isn't a date, Mai!" Serenity snarled. "Will you _lay off _trying to set me up with Yugi?! He's dating Tea!"

"Alright, doll. Have a good time!"

"Mai!" There was the sound of a car. Joey came in the kitchen. "There's a limo outside. I think it's Pegasus'."

"Right on time," Serenity grumbled, grabbing her purse and shrugging her shawl slightly higher on her shoulders. Yugi opened the house door for her, and Croquet had the limo door open for them. Yugi got in first, followed by Serenity.

"What would you care for your listening pleasure, Miss Pegasus?" the driver asked.

"Uh… light jazz?"

"Very good, Miss Pegasus." A chord of saxophone and flute music came through the speakers as the car began to move.

"This is really nice," Yugi said, leaning back into the plush seats.

"Yeah, I agree." Within half of an hour, the limousine pulled up in front of the restaurant. Croquet opened the door for both of them, and as soon as they entered, a waiter led them to a private alcove, one of many that had tables seated on daises with curtains to provide privacy. The waiter bowed them in, opening the curtains for them. At one side of the table, sat Maximillion Pegasus. He was in his customary crimson and white suit, a glass of wine at his elbow.

"Sonja…" he whispered. "Ahem. Serenity... Welcome. Please take a seat. Welcome, Yugi-boy. You dress up very nicely."

"Thank you, Pegasus," Yugi replied, his voice sounding guarded. He pulled a chair out for Serenity, and took the one beside her across from Pegasus.

"You didn't bring young Joseph?" Pegasus asked Serenity.

"No, he would have embarrassed me and probably ruined the restaurant." Serenity's voice held a hint of slightly nervous laughter. Yugi was fiddling with a napkin, and discreetly scanning the massive menu. Serenity followed his example, and decided on roast duck with plum sauce.

"How are your eyes?" Pegasus asked.

"Very good, thank you. The surgery healed up very well, and I can see much better than I have my entire life."

"I'm very glad. My mother suffered from early blindness. I'm afraid it's hereditary."

"Did she have surgery?"

"No, she died when I was young. She had cancer." The conversation seemed to die for a moment, until Yugi got Pegasus talking about Duel Monsters, and Serenity had little to no control over the conversation from there until the waiter came to take their orders. Then, the table lapsed again into silence.

"Do you play Duel Monsters?" Pegasus asked.

"Joey was teaching me. I don't entirely get it. I understand the monsters, and that they each have a certain point value, but how does their destruction affect life points? And is there any way to win them back?"

"I based Duel Monsters on an ancient Egyptian game that was played for power. Each Duel Monster is also found in Egyptian hieroglyphics." Pegasus pulled a Duel Monsters deck from his coat pocket, and showed her a number of cards.

By the time the food had arrived, Pegasus and Serenity were comfortable with one another, and both Duelists had begun teaching Serenity the finesse of Dueling. Pegasus had even begun to show Yugi and Serenity some of his new cards that he was designing, including a magic card called Smothering Darkness that was flat matte black. It would cause every card on the field and in the player's hands and the first five cards on the tops of their decks to be removed from play. Not sent to the Graveyard, but removed completely from the game. The decks were then reshuffled, and new cards were drawn. Another card was called Warsbane, and had a young boy in Egyptian garb and an Egyptian hairstyle. The card would make every player to have the same lifepoint count as the highest dueler, and would remain as a Monster on the player's field. If Warsbane was destroyed or sacrificed, all players would have their lifepoints drop to the lowest, and the destruction of Warsbane would automatically invoke Wrath of the Gods which would cause every monster on the field to be destroyed, and the monster's lifepoints to directly affect their duelists' lifepoints.

"Sounds like a devastating card," Yugi put in.

"Smothering Darkness and Warsbane will be very rare cards." Pegasus handed the two cards to Serenity. "Those are yours. You can keep them."

"Thank you," Serenity said, looking at them.

"I got the idea from an Egyptologist who mentioned that the devastating wars between the Pharaoh and the Priesthood were started by the Priest's First Acolyte, his younger brother, being killed by a courtier. The Egyptologist said that if the Acolyte had lived, he most certainly would have averted the war, and Egypt would have become a much greater power. He believes it would have been able to annihilate Rome at its height."

"Wow," Serenity said. "I love history, especially how it keeps repeating itself! If the Acolyte had lived, would Egypt have been able to stop Alexander the Great?"

"Possibly. It certainly would have been able to repel the Hyksos Invasions later."

"Was this the Bronze Age war between Pharaoh Aten and the Priests of Amun, the one that inspired Pharaoh Akhenaton to create the Cult of Aten?"

"I believe so. You do know history."

"I love history. It's like a map to the future, in a way." Pegasus nodded. He leaned back, allowing the recently-arrived waiter to put his dinner down as Yugi and Serenity did the same. He topped of their drinks before leaving and shutting the curtains behind him. The three began eating, talking about history and Duel Monsters and how Egyptian history had inspired the game. When their dinner was finished, Serenity had given Pegasus her e-mail address and phone number, so he could contact her at any time. Pegasus had returned the favor, and given her a deck of very rare, very powerful cards. As a thank you for helping her, he gave Yugi a copy of Warsbane and Smothering Darkness.

When they returned to the Wheeler apartment, Pegasus gave Serenity a warm hug and a kiss on the forehead before promising to be in touch. Yugi waved goodbye to Serenity, trusting Pegasus to take him back to his house and not rope him into another Shadow Game.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Joey asked.

"Excellent. I'm very happy to have met him. Here, take a look at this!" She showed him her new deck.

"Holy Smokes! I've never seen some o'these cards! An' 'e gave ye Toon World?! An' Black Illusion Ritual, Relinquished, Thousand Eyes Idol, an' Thousand Eyes Restrict?! I _never_ wanna duel you! Those monsta's were never put inta circulation! An' what's this?" He had come across Smothering Darkness and Warsbane. "Both o' these cards are _good_. 'Specially Warsbane. Smotherin' Darkness sounds nasty, but Warsbane sounds like an _awesome_ card!" He goggled at the two before giving them back to her. "You'll be able to beat anyone, even Yugi!"

"You really think so, Joey?" she asked.

"Yeah, I really do, Seren."

"Good, because I'm going to train, hard."

"Oh, boy. I'm gonna get my ass handed ta me by my baby sista!"

"Yes, you are, Joey! Time to Duel!"

"Oh, shit!"

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: What do you think?**_

_**Balrog: Why make her a history fanatic?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Well, I felt it would be good to have someone who knows history to be on the sidelines in the Battle City Arc, instead of someone with a Millennium Item or an Egyptian God Card. Besides, I love history myself, and I gave her a lot of my views on history. **_

_**Balrog: How soon until Isishu Ishtar and the Egyptian God Cards arrive? And why did you call Atem Aten?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: I'll probably have the Battle City Arc start the next chapter. The reason I used Aten instead of Atem, even though Atem is Canon, is that there was a cult in acctual Ancient Egypt that worshipped an all-powerful single deity named Aten. That cult is most famous for being created by the Pharaoh Akhenaton, but there is evidence that it was around far earler. Every legend and myth has a seed of reality in it, and Ancient Egyptians considered their Pharaoh's to be Living Gods. I hope that cleared up any confusion. If anyone is confused, please feel free to PM me. Until then, people, please review!**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Sorry about the wait. Real life, Midterms, and computer malfunctions got in the way. Not to mention writer's block.**_

_**Balrog: Hopefully this chapter will be more interesting than the last one. Nothing but talking and shopping. **_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: It was needed to move the story along. Please read and review, people!**_

* * *

"That Warsbane card of yours is _powerful_, sis!" Joey crowed as they entered the shop. None of the group noticed the shopkeeper look at Serenity, discreetly looking something up on his computer.

"We'll take three dueling disks, please," Yugi said. The shopkeeper handed Yugi and Serenity disks, but denied Joey for a moment before claiming a computer glitch and handing him a disk as well.

"This is quite the tournament," Serenity said. "Father's coming to watch tomorrow."

"Will ya quit callin' 'im 'Father', Seren?" Joey asked.

"He's a much better father than Jacob is!" Serenity snarled.

"Ah can' deny that," Joey grumbled in reply. "But still, it's the princi—princi—princi—whatever of the thing!"

"Do you mean _principle_, Joey?" she asked. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, that." A strange man in a dark cloak approached them, duel disk ready.

"I challenge you to a duel!" He pointed at Serenity.

"Ya gotta be kiddin'!" Joey yelped. "Ya duel her, an' yer gonna duel me, too!"

"Fine! Two on one!" He scampered off towards an alleyway, and Joey followed, hot on his heels. Serenity rolled her eyes and pelted after her brother.

In a moment, the two siblings found themselves in a dark alley, the Duelist standing waiting for them with his duel disk out and ready. Serenity slid hers on, and Joey followed suit, after looking at it for a moment and figuring out how it operated.

"If you win, I'll give you my two rarest cards," the Duelist called to them.

"Agreed," Joey responded, hitting a button. Four holographic projectors went flying, and the blonde yelped and leaped back.

"That was supposed to happen," Serenity reassured him.

"I knew that." Serenity rolled her eyes. Her brother could be such a dork.

"I lay Ogre of the Black Shadow in Defensive Mode, and three cards facedown," their opponent announced. The ogre appeared, crouched, with arms about its legs.

"Baby Dragon, Defense mode!" Joey called out. The infant drake chirped as it appeared. "And I lay two cards facedown."

"I lay Curse of the Lioness in defense mode, and lay one card facedown." Serenity said clearly. The woman who appeared had fierce golden eyes and her face looked like a lions. A tail came to rest on her feet, and she crossed her clawed hands in front of her chest.

"I lay Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode, and put one card facedown." The strange mantis-like creature snarled as it attacked, and as it went for Serenity's lioness-woman, the facedown card flipped up, revealing a rushing torrent of water.

"My Floodwaters drown your Gazelle!" Serenity called triumphantly.

"I play Time Wizard! Go, Time Wizard!" Joey crowed. The thing raised its staff, and as the dial began to spin, Joey looked apprehensive. For good reason, too, as the dial landed on a skull token, and the Time Wizard exploded, taking a full 500 life points. The baby dragon chirped again, sounding almost annoyed. Serenity raised her eyebrow at the infant lizard. Their opponent laughed.

"I lay Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode, and put two cards facedown."

"I sacrifice Baby Dragon to call forth the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, in attack mode!" The giant black lizard sent a ball of fire at the stone monolith, which was reduced to rubble.

"I play Warsbane in attack mode." A young boy appeared, maybe ten or so, his head shaven aside from a single lock of hair from the side of his head. That lock of hair had a golden ring about it, and his eyes were lined with kohl.

"Sis!" Joey yelped as the young Egyptian boy looked back with a smile and a wave at the siblings. "That's Mokuba Kaiba!"

"What?" Serenity asked, wrinkling her forehead. "That's Mokuba?! No way, Father wouldn't have drawn Mokuba Kaiba on a card. And besides, he had this card created long before he met the Kaiba brothers." Their opponent had a strange look on his face.

"I flip my five facedown cards up, and summon forth Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

"Holy shit!"

"Your Exodia destroys my Warsbane, activating its special ability. I call forth Wrath of the Gods!" Instead of the Mokuba doppelganger, there was a figure in ancient Egyptian priestly robes and a hood, eyes of an insane red the only feature visible of his face. He raised his hands, deadly white energy radiating from them. When he brought them down, all three Duelists felt their duel disks shudder from the impact of the Priests' magic.

"What was that?" the opponent asked.

"That was Wrath of the Gods. He appears whenever Warsbane is destroyed, and destroys all cards on the field, reducing all Lifepoints to equal the lowest players. It also makes the monster's points directly affect each player's lifepoints. Since you used Exodia the Forbidden One, and Wrath of the Gods destroyed it, Exodia's points were removed from your lifepoint counter." All three Duelist's Lifepoints began to plummet. Serenity's stopped at 300. Joeys stopped at 2800. The challenger's lifepoints continued to descend long after the siblings', until he was left with zero. He shouted out loudly, crying for someone to forgive him. After a couple minutes, he was left as nothing more than a human-shaped puddle on the ground.

"I believe we take your two rarest cards," Joey proclaimed, sliding his deck safely into his breast pocket. He hunted through the broken-hearted Duelist's deck, finding the Exodia grouping. He handed Serenity a second grouping. "S' far as I'm concerned, these're one card each," he explained. Serenity considered for a moment then nodded.

"If he had two groups of Exodia in his hand, I hate to think what would have happened had I not been here."

"I prob'ly woulda lost my Dragon an' my Swordsman."

"That's very possible." The two siblings made their way out of the alley.

"What happened?!" Tea asked, racing to meet them. Tristan and Yugi made their way close behind.

"Some looser challenged us to a duel."

"I saw that," Tristan said, rolling his eyes.

"Sis an' I wiped the floor wit'im. Seren' 'as one _awesome_ card, too!"

"Which one?" Yugi asked.

"Th' Warsbane. It destroyed _Exodia_!"

"That's… that's impossible. Nothing can destroy Exodia."

"When the guy drew Exodia, I had Warsbane out. When Warsbane was destroyed by Exodia, it automatically turned into Wrath of the Gods. Because Wrath of the Gods causes all monsters on the field to directly affect their wielder's Life Points, both mine and Joey's life points fell. The other guy's Life Points went down to zero, and he went into a fit of some kind. Joey got his rare card, and, since the guy fell unconscious after his seizure, Joey decided the guy's three Exodia sets counted as one card each. So now I have two copies of Exodia, and Joey has one. Father already gave me a copy in the deck he gave me." She dug out the five cards, handing them to Yugi. "Take these. Joey told me how Weevil Underwood threw your copies overboard on the way to Duelist Kingdom. I know they won't replace the ones your grandfather gave you, but I want you to have them anyways." The way Yugi's eyes lit up told her it was the right thing to do. She saw him as a little brother most of the time, but sometimes he said something very deep and philosophical, and she caught herself thinking of him like a wise old shaman or grandfather.

"Thanks, Serenity! Grandpa gave me the Exodia cards I had, and I was hurt more that the cards he gave me were gone than that I didn't have the most powerful monsters. But thank you." He smiled at her, and for a moment she could see why Tea had fallen for him. She squashed an impulse to hug him, and turned to Joey as he began to speak.

"Yug, I almost lost my Red Eyes back there. If Sis hadn't been there… But I wan' ye ta take my Red Eyes. Ye can know I'm righ' beside ye as yer duellin' wit' my Dragon."

"Joey, no!"

"Yeah, Yug'. I need ye to." The blonde put the rare card in his best friend's hand. "It ain't safe wit' me. Ye'll get use out'a it, too."

"Joey, this is your best card! Your favorite!"

"Ah, I still got lots o' good cards, Yug! An' b'sides, I know you'll take good care o' it fer me."

"Alright. I'll take it. And whenever I use it, I'll think of you."

"Ye do that!"

"Alright. Let's all plan to meet up here at the end of each day," Serenity said, fixing her duel disk to her arm. Joey, Yugi, Tea and Tristan all nodded, and the group split up, the three Duelers going their own ways.

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Again, sorry this took so long.**_

_**Balrog: And when will this story pick up momentum?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This chapter got the ball rolling, so to speak.**_

_**Balrog: Alright. Hopefully it won't be too boring.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog! Please review, people!**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This chapter deals with a glitch in one of Serenity's new cards. It also has a surprise near the end!**_

_**Balrog: A card glitch should be interesting to see. (Munches on pumice popcorn) Especially if it's a devastating glitch. Like if it causes mass hysteria or a global blackout… that would be awesome!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This is a Yu-Gi-Oh fic, not a Revolution fic.**_

_**Balrog: Oh. It would still be cool, though.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: (rolls eyes at Balrog) Please review, people!**_

* * *

Serenity looked at her hand. She had Ryuran, Doppelgänger, Jigen Bakudan, De-Spell, and Red Archery Girl. Rex Raptor, her opponent, had his Two Headed King Rex armed with Dragon Nails on the field, and one facedown card that could be a trap.

"I play the magic card Doppelgänger," she announced, slipping the card face up into the reader. The Phooka like monster appeared, grinned at her, and assumed the shape of Rex' Serpent Night Dragon, since-destroyed by her Cosmo Queen, and attacked the Two Headed King Rex.

"Ha!" Rex cried out as his facedown card flipped up, revealing Bottomless Trap Hole. The Doppelgänger let go its costume of the Serpent Night Dragon, and was sucked into a vortex originating from below it. Serenity took the Doppelgänger card from the card reader, slipping it into her pocket as the Bottomless Trap Hole removed a card from play, and didn't send it to the Graveyard. She drew, and held in a smile. This game was about to end! "I play Sword Arm of Dragon, and inflict Direct Damage to your lifepoints!"

"I play Smothering Darkness," Serenity returned, slipping the magic card into the slot. A black miasma rose from the four holographic projectors, slowly encroaching on Rex' Two Headed King Rex and Sword Arm of Dragon. When it reached them, it wound about their ankles, creeping up until the entire field was awash with the black mist. The temperature plummeted as the mist spread to include the two Duelists. A feeling of hopelessness and loneliness washed over Serenity, and she barely kept herself from breaking down right there. She felt like she was going blind again, and could barely hear anyone outside of the black fog. Rex Raptor was screaming with the sounds of a madman. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face, and the mist started feeling even colder. A deep depression crawled into her chest, and she felt like crying. Cold seeped in past both clothes and skin, to feel like her very bones were freezing. She couldn't move, couldn't even _breathe_. It was horrible.

"Mommy, make it stop!" Rex screamed in a panic. A smell of sulfur and rot reached her nose, and her stomach heaved, offended by the foul stench. Eyes opened from the darkness, and she felt like she was being stared at by thousands of people. Rex kept hollering for his mother, and Serenity felt her knees hit the pavement. Slowly, every sensation left. She couldn't even feel the cold anymore, and was locked in a block of solid black ice.

* * *

Time ceased to have meaning. She floated in the icy blackness, not sure if a second had gone by, or a century. Rex' cries dimmed and faded. The eyes remained focused on her, never letting up. She felt her breath slowly come to a halt, and couldn't bring herself to even care.

* * *

Suddenly, there was light again. Warmth rushed back into her body. She could see, hear, and smell. The acrid scent of exhaust was a welcome relief. There, standing near her, that horrible Smothering Darkness card in one hand, was her father. His golden-brown eyes were worried, and her duel disk was on the ground. Someone was helping Rex up, and he looked as horrid as she felt. His deck fell to the ground and scattered, and he didn't seem to notice.

"Make sure he gets _warm_. Warm foods, warm drinks, warm blankets. Make him warm, let him know he's not alone, get his family and friends, general remedies for depression and hypothermia," Pegasus called to those helping the dinosaur enthusiast.

"Right," someone called back.

"Whhhhhh?" Serenity managed to groan, looking up into her father's face. He gently picked her up, Croquet opening the door to the limo. Joey, Tristan, Tea, Yugi, Mai, Mokuba Kaiba, and Solomon Motou were around them.

"Something went wrong with the Smothering Darkness card," her father explained. "It pulled both you and the boy to a pocket of the Shadow Realm."

"A wha'?" Serenity asked, still unable to form words properly.

"She was in the Shadow Realm?!" Mokuba Kaiba cried out. "You did that to your own _daughter_?!"

"It never happened in the tests and prototypes!" Pegasus snarled back. "It always just blanketed the field with black and the cards on the field were destroyed! It was up to the players to discard their hands and the first five cards of their decks!" Pegasus protested, holding Serenity close and wrapping his coat around her. He looked around at the crowd and seemed to make a decision. "All of you, in the car. You can help Serenity."

It was rather crowded in the limo, and Pegasus cranked up the temperature and handed Serenity a mug of hot cocoa. She sipped it, feeling the sweet liquid return heat to her body. She began shivering, nearly spilling her drink. Her father held the cup for her, gently helping her sip until it was gone. He tucked his coat more firmly around her, following that with Joey's coat and a large plush blanket. Her brother gently stroked a lock of hair from her face.

"Is she going to be okay?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know."

"We were fine," Mokuba put in.

"Your _Ba_, or soul, was not in your body at the time. Hers was. It… nearly killed her." Pegasus' voice broke for an instant. "If I had gotten here much later, they would have been gone. The Shadow Realm would have brutally stripped their souls of their bodies, shredded their souls, and their bodies would have died."

"Our souls were stripped from our bodies," Solomon Motou said.

"Not really. Your souls were separated from your bodies, like a cake is gently removed from a mold. That card would have destroyed their souls as well as their bodies."

"Why did you say _Ba_?" Mai asked.

"It's the ancient Egyptian term for the soul," Solomon Motou replied before Pegasus could.

"You're going straight to bed and getting warm," the Dueling magnate said.

"Th-th-thanks, Fa-father," Serenity stuttered. She felt him wrap his arm around her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Croquet," Pegasus called through the intercom.

"_Sir?"_ a voice asked.

"When we get to the Wheeler's house, make sure Jacob stays out of the way."

"_Yes, Sir,"_ the driver replied crisply. There almost seemed a note of satisfaction in the voice.

"Joseph, when we get in, can you heat some of this chicken broth for her?"

"Absolutely, Mr. Pegasus. Anyt'in' fer my little sis."

"You're a good young man. I'm glad she has a brother like you."

"Well…" Joey said, getting red. He was obviously embarrassed. Serenity closed her eyes for a moment, but it must have been longer, as the next thing she knew the car was stopping.

"No way," Mokuba said firmly. "You live _here_?" Serenity saw Joey nod with embarrassment. "Uh-uh. You can stay at my place."

"I'll arrange for a nice house for you and Joseph to live in before I leave. You'll be ready to move in as soon as you can get your belongings," her father agreed. Mokuba used the intercom, which he seemed to have familiarity with, to direct Croquet to the Kaiba mansion before flipping open his cell phone.

"Seto," he said into the receiver.

"_What is it, Mokuba?" _the CEO's voice came over the line.

"There's been an accident. One of my friends has been hurt, and can't go to her place. I'm taking her home."

"_Who is it?"_

"Her name is Serenity. She's a good friend of mine, and I trust her."

"_Alright. Make sure you stay with her. I'll be home in a few hours."_

"Thanks, big brother." He hung up the phone.

"I don't think Tristan and Mai are comfortable going to the Kaiba mansion," Tea said. Mai looked relieved, and Tristan looked torn. He obviously wanted to stay with Serenity so he could spend time with her, no matter that she found the brunette's constant flirting rather irritating.

"I'll get out with them," Yugi said. "Joey's Serenity's brother, but I don't need to be there. Besides, she's going to be fine."

"I agree," Tea said. Solomon nodded. Mokuba hit the intercom again, and Croquet stopped the limo so that Tristan, Tea, Yugi, Solomon and Mai could get out, Tristan loudly proclaiming that the outside air was much better than the furnace in the car.

"Joey, you should go duel. You can't do anything for me here, and I know you want to get back in the tournament."

"Sis…"

"Joey, please. Besides, if what I heard about you and Seto Kaiba is true, then he'd have an apoplexy if you were in his house."

"What's an apocalypsy?"

"Apoplexy, not apocalypsy. It's a stroke."

"Yeah, he would. Well, I'm gonna get out an' duel. I'll be thinkin' of ye, Sis." He kissed her cheek and left the limo.

"Seto Kaiba would be rather unhappy if I were in his house as well," Pegasus said. "As soon as you are in bed and warm, I'm going to go find a new house for you and Joseph to live in."

"Pegasus, can I talk ta ye?" Joey asked. "Privately?"

"Certainly." The white-haired Dueling magnate got out of the car and closed the door to keep in the heat for Serenity. She leaned back in the car and closed her eyes, glad her father had turned on the heated seats.

* * *

"Pegasus, I'm worried 'bout Seren. My old man, he gets drunk. An' when he gets drunk, he gets _mean_. I'm worried that he's gonna slap her 'round if he gets drunk an' she's in th' room wit' 'im."

"I understand," Pegasus said, his face darkening. "Has he struck you?"

"Er… yeah." Pegasus recalled how Joey seemed to try and protect his ribs when he was walking, as though they pained him, and seemed to be unconscious of the fact. If he knew he was telegraphing some type of pain, he would probably try to stop doing so. Pegasus came to a snap decision.

"I will have my private physician look over both of you as soon as I can."

"Tha's really not needed…"

"Serenity is my daughter. You are Serenity's brother. That makes you my _de facto_ son."

"I… wha?" Joey asked, eyes widening.

"You are currently fourteen, correct?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"As soon as I can arrange it, if you wish, I will adopt you. You will not have to spend one minute longer in Jacob Wheeler's presence. Do you understand me?"

"Uh… I guess? I'm your son? You're my dad?"

"Legally, as soon as I can get the paperwork through. I know this is a lot to process. If you want a few days to think it over, you can."

"I'll… have to talk it over wit' Yug' an' the rest o' th' gang…" Joey said, sounding preoccupied.

"Go ahead. I'm going to get Serenity into a warm bed and make sure she's well. Here's my cell number if you need to contact me." Pegasus wrote a series of digits on the back of a business card, and handed it to the young blonde, then got back into the car.

* * *

"How do you feel?" Pegasus asked his daughter.

"Better, but still cold," Serenity replied.

"I'll have the servants bring up some hot broth and cocoa when we get home," Mokuba said. Croquet began to drive off, Joey still standing outside, looking poleaxed.

"I offered to adopt Joseph," the dueling magnate said. Serenity looked at him for a moment.

"Thanks. Jacob Wheeler isn't the best of people. Joey was injured, and didn't want me to know. I'm glad he's getting out the house."

"You're adopting Joey?" Mokuba asked, looking poleaxed.

"Yes. He lives with an abusive father, and, as he is Serenity's sister, it's the least I can do to protect him."

"Wow... jsut wait until Seto hears about _this_..." Pegasus smiled at the boy indulgently.

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Who expected **_**that **_**to happen?**_

_**Balrog: I'm speechless. I didn't expect that.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: I don't think the readers did, either. Please review, people!**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Celebwen Telcontar: I hope you like this new installment!**_

_**Balrog: Unless there's a fight, I'll be napping.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog!**_

_**Balrog: (Snore)**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Please review, people!**_

* * *

"Serenity, I'll call you once the sale has gone through," Pegasus said, kissing her forehead. He tucked the covers around her again, fluffing her pillow.

"Dad, I'll be fine. I'm feeling a lot better, honest," Serenity laughed. No matter what she said, though, it was good to have someone hover. Leah Wheeler wasn't at all touchy-feely, and Jacob shouldn't care for a goldfish, much less children. Pegasus smiled at her, handing her the latest in cell phone technology. "But Dad, I need to talk to you. Mokuba was terrified in the car with us. He was white and shaking, no matter how much he tried to mask it. I know what you did to him, his brother, and Yugi's grandfather. I forgive you for it, but it's not my forgiveness that you need. It's theirs."

"I know."

"What you did was… well, it was evil. A quote says: 'When we forgive evil we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. We look the evil full in the face, call it what it is, let its horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it.'" Pegasus nodded, a bit pale.

"Lewis Smeades. He was an author." He twisted his fingers together, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Mokuba Kaiba?" he called out.

"Er… yes?" the pale boy asked. Now that Serenity had mentioned it, he noticed that the lad was shaking slightly and seemed almost green.

"I need to tell you how sorry I am." He looked at the floor. "I… Serenity's mother had died in childbirth. I thought Serenity had died with her. I was desperate, and more than a little mad. I thought that your brother's technology could help me resurrect Serenity and Cecelia. I am _very _sorry. If there's any way I can make it up to you, please just say so. Money won't do anything, promises are worthless… I don't know what I can do to repay you for the… evil I did." Mokuba nodded jerkily.

"It was cold… there. Dark. I never needed a nightlight to go to sleep before, and now I do. Seto leaves the hall light on when he goes to bed. For almost a week, I was afraid to go to sleep. I eventually passed out. I… please leave?"

"Alright. I deeply, sincerely apologize for what I did." He handed Serenity a cell phone. "Here's a cell phone if you need to contact me. My private cell number is programed into it. You can keep the phone."

"Thanks, Dad." Serenity didn't miss the fact that he practically glowed each time she called him that. He stroked her hair once more before leaving the room and presumably the mansion. "Are you okay?" she asked. The young boy closed his eyes and shuddered, almost as if trying to keep from being affected by some great fear.

"He… did you get him to do that?"

"Yes. I saw how terrified you were. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"I… it's okay. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I feel a lot better. Still cold, but nowhere near as bad as I did before. How long was I in that bubble with Raptor?"

"In—in the—the Shadow Realm?" Mokuba asked, as if the name of the place was a curse itself.

"Yes."

"Yugi found you around noon yesterday. He had Tristan track me down, and Pegasus appeared a couple hours later. He was… he was angry. I—it was t-terrifying. I th-thought he was go-going to do th-that to m-me." The boy collapsed into a chair, looking worn out and a bit green. He was still trembling, and his eyes were clenched closed. "He's gone. Thank _God_. I know he's your father… but…"

"I understand. I know what he did to you and your brother. I won't excuse it. I forgave him, but I don't excuse him, and I'll never forget what he did to you, your brother, and Yugi's grandfather. I'm just a bystander here, I don't know everything. Dad told me what he did, Joey filled me in on what Dad didn't say, but I still don't know everything. Being there… in that… pocket… it felt _evil_, somehow. Like the chill was just waiting for me to let my guard down. I can't imagine being trapped there for days, let alone weeks or _months_." Mokuba shuddered again.

"I'll go… lay down for a bit. I'm not feeling too good…"

"Probably the stress. You were holding yourself together for a very long time, there."

"Yeah. See you later, get some rest." He took off through the hallway, and Serenity sank back into her pillows. She had a lot to think about, including her father…

* * *

It was good to be home. Seto Kaiba sat in his favorite chair, contemplating what the Board of Directors was trying to do. Like the small-minded idiots that they were, they were certain that if Seto was occupied with something else, they would get the run of the company. So they were trying to distract him, mostly with women. They would be very happy if he were to marry some pretty little fluff-brain who would gain them influence and keep him occupied. Well, it wasn't going to work. Seto had no intention of settling down and getting married.

Wait, though, perhaps he could find a suitable wife, one who could look nice and be polite while tying the Board in knots, one who would be loyal to him, and someone who was highly intelligent, and, most of all, that was good to Mokuba and that his little brother liked. That would be ideal. It would get the Board off of his back, give him an ally, and irritate the idiots on the Board to no end.

"Hi, Seto! You're home!" Mokuba came barreling at him, tackling him in a hug. He amended his list. She needed to be someone who was good, and ruthless, at Duel Monsters.

"Hi, Mokuba." He returned his little brother's hug, gently patting the charcoal colored hair. Wait, didn't Mokuba have a friend over, a female, who had gotten injured in the tournament somehow? "Who did you invite over?"

"Her name is Serenity. She's awesome! She's a _fantastic _Duelist, and you should have seen the way she beat Yoshi Nara!"

"The Shadow Duelist?" Said duel was coming to his mind, now. A girl, maybe 13 or so, fighting with a black-haired kid who used Shadow monsters, mainly the Shadow Ghoul. There had been something about one of her cards changing with some special ability after being sucked into Nara's Dark Hole. That was it! She had called the card's special effect Wrath of the Gods. Nara's Points had plummeted to match the girl's, which were rather low due to Nara's excessive use of three Man Eater Bugs. Then, Nara had brought out Witch of the Dark Forest and the girl had countered with some card called Perseus equipped with a card called Burning Spear. The Perseus card was only 1000 points, but the Burning Spear added 700 points to it, bringing it up to 1700 points. When the Perseus card destroyed the Witch of the Black Forest, her 1100 Life points directly affected Nara's points, bringing him from 700 to 0, and the girl to win the duel. Seto had never seen the Warsbane card with the Wrath of the Gods special ability, or the Perseus or Burning Spear. He would have to find out where she got them, since they were obviously legitimate cards; no counterfeits would work in his Duel Disks. Perhaps this girl was what he was looking for? Mokuba obviously liked her, and she was a strong duelist. Now if she was smart…

"She _destroyed_ him!"

"I saw the Duel. Where did she get those cards?"

"Probably from her father." Mokuba's jovial mood vanished. He seemed nervous and depressed suddenly.

"Mokuba?" Seto asked, kneeling down to his brother's height and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Serenity's father is Pegasus."

"No wonder she had good cards. How did you end up being friends with her?"

"She was kidnapped at birth, and raised as Joey Wheeler's sister. She's lived in America most of her life."

"Pegasus' daughter and the Mutt's sister. How do you get into these situations?" Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache coming on.

"She didn't know she was Pegasus' daughter until less than three months ago!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. And she's nice, when she and Joey aren't fighting." Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Might as well let her stay for supper. Tell Noboru to have another plate of dinner ready."

"Yes!" Mokuba cheered, hugging Seto. "Thanks, big brother!" Seto pinched the bridge of his nose again. He needed some Excedrin, badly. He stood, following Mokuba up the stairs. When he reached his room, he drank a glass of water with some painkillers and lay down, putting a pillow over his face to block out the light. Hopefully he would be able to function when he woke from his impromptu nap…

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Well?**_

_**Balrog: (Snore)**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog?**_

_**Balrog: But I wanna eat the pony!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Guess he's out cold… hehehe… out cold… Balrog… hehe… puns are fun!**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Please review, people!**_


End file.
